Heat exchanger



June 16, 1931.

A. MaCPHEE HEAT EXCHANG'ERv Filed April 6, 1927 l Ill s sheets-sheet 2' A. M3C PH EE HEAT EXCHANGER Julie 16, 1931 Filed April 6, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 liatentecl June 16, v1931 UNITED STATES AN MAGPHEE, OF MEADOWBROK, PENNSYLVANIA naar Excmndnn Application. mea Agra e,

This invention relates to heat exchangers and has for its object to provide a device more simplel in construction and more efficient inyoperation than those heretofore proposed.

' With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter. disclosed and particularly 1c pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like parts are designated by like numerals in all the views:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a de vice made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view disclosing a securement of the fixed tube sheet to the casing;

Fig. 3 illustrate-s a modified form rof construction of the parts shown in Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the figurebeing broken away to conserve space in the drawings;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View, taken as on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction ofthe arrows, of the mounting of the floating end of the internal tube nest of this device, and the joint between the return cover and the casing proper;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional detail view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 6 taken as on the line 7-7 of said figure and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a top plan viewvof the casing with the cover and internal tube nest removed;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view illustrating the construction of the casing adjacent the fixed tube sheet to allow for any leakage from said casing;

Fig. 1() is'a fragmentary top plan view of the device with the cover removed to illusr trate the manner of mounting the fixed tube sheet on the casing;

Fig. 11 is a side elevational vlew of .the cover at the fixed tube sheet end ofthe device;

F ig. 12 is a perspective view partly in sec! tion illustrating the relation between the 25 rthe parts frequently 1927. serial No. 181,464.

cover shown in Fig. 11 and the end f the casing; and A Fig. 13 is atop plan view of the cover illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12.

This invention is directed to a heat exchanger,.or la device adapted to extract heat from one fluid by the use of another fluid. As a concrete example, this device is peculiarly adapted tothe recooling of lubricating oilr by the use' of water, but it is to be under- 60 stood that the device is equally applicable as an oil-to-oil heat exchanger, or as a waterto-Water heat exchanger, as well as for the recovery of heat from waste or other liquids and fluids.

In heat exchangers of types heretofore known it has been extremely difficult, if notk impossible, to make repairs or adjustments without seriously disrupting the pipe con-nections leadin 'to said exchangers, which must e done due to the leaks that occur from time to time. That is to say, in the types heretofore known it has been neces# sary to remove the entire end of the casing in order to gain access to the nest of internal tubes with which said exchangers are provided. This, however, has been accompanied with disastrous results to the adjacent supply pipes leading to the exchangers in that the said end could not be removed from the casing without straining the inlet and outlet 1 pipes 'associated with the exchangersV and thereby causing leaks to develop in the acked joints between the sections thereo thus often necessitating the piping lines to be dis- S mantled, repacked, and reassembled for a considerable -distance away from the exchanger. Attempts have been made to overcome this defect by employing a removable Y end t which no supply ipes were attached, but insofar as is known t ese removable ends have been constructed to cause the fluid to pass therethrough before enterin or leaving the exchanger. This has the un esirable result of causing the fluid toassv numerous 9 bends with resultant diminution of `pressure and the creation of ockets for lodgement of sediment and other orei'gn'matter necessitating more frequent shut-downs for cleaning,

etc. This invention, on the other hand, over- 10 comes and avoids the serious draw-backs found in prior known constructions, in that not only need the piping connections not be disturbed to gain access to the tube nest, but a free circulation of the fluid is insured.

Referring to the drawings 1 indicates a tubular shell or casing of suitable material provided with a flanged inlet 2 and a flanged outlet 3, for the oil. At one end, the casing is provided with an enlarged concentric cylindrical chamber 4 provided with a flanged inlet 5 and a flanged outlet 6 substantially diametrically opposed to each other for the passage of water through thedevice. The

'J chamber 4 is connected to the main body portion of the cylinder l as by the transverse web 7 having the surface ad]acent the chamber 4 machined or otherwise suitably prepared'for the reception of an annular gasket 8 which, from Fig'. 1, will be seen to .be disposed between the web 7 and the fixed tube sheet 10 associated with the nest of tubes 12 with which the device is provided. The-fixed ltube sheet may be secured inany suitable from experience that an inner row of studs 13 and an outer row of lstuds 14, either rigidi ly or integrally attached circularly to the web and each provided with a nut `15, has been most staisfactory, see Figs. 1, 8 and 10. Between these circular rows of studs 13 and 14 is rovided a deep annular groove or recess 16 ormed in the web 7 said groove being provided at frequent intervals with drains 17 formed by radial bores extending from said groove outwardly through the web, whereby any fluid reaching the groove may pass out of the casing through said bores. By providing a great pluralityv of studs 13 and 14 the fixed tube sheet l0 may be forced tightly against the gasket 8 to prevent a leakage of fluid from out of either the casing 1 or the chamber 4.

It is essential to have a tight joint between 5 the fixed tube sheet 10 and the web 7 due toI the fact that different fluids are used in the heat exchanger. In lthe example given, it would not do for water to pass the gasket 8 and reach' the oil in the cylinder 1, nor would it be desirable to have the oil from the cylinderv l kpass the asket 8 and reach the water in'chamber 4 -or reasons that are perfectly obvious. ADue tothe high temperatures ofthe fluid adapted to pass into and out of such an exchanger as herein disclosed, the gasket 8 will in tlme allow a slight leakage of the fluids, this being au ented by the expansion and contraction of t e metal of the device. By employin the construction abovedisclosed, any fluid eakage that will develop will reach the groove 16, pass to the outside of the device through the bores 17, and be easily visible, whereupon the power` plant can be shut down and adjustments 05 made in the exchanger to stop said leakage.

manner to the web but it has been found ing upon the gasket 8, whereas in Fig. 2-said f i across which the fluid ca not travel and in this'respect a further modification of the tube sheet 10 is shown in Fig. 3, wherein its under-surface is provided with an annular groove 20 adapted to re ister with the groove 16 in the web 7 to douly insure the passage ofthe leaking fluid to the outlet bores 17. In the last mentioned construction the gasket 8 will provided with suitable apertures reg- 1st er1ngwith the grooves 16 and 20 to accomplish t e desired result.

The fixed tube sheet 10 has disposed therein the ends of a. plurality of tubes 12 swaged or otherwise rig1dly secured in ysaid sheet, as well understood in constructions of this character, said tubes being arallelly disposed to each other and extending longitudinally of the cylindrical casing 1. The other ends of the tubes 12 are suitably secured in the same manner in a plate 22 which is adapted for movement longitudinally of the casing l under expansion and contraction of the metal of the device, the plate 22 being usually termed the floatin end of the tube nest. 'Ihe caslng l at the oating end of the device 1s provided with an annular flange 23 extending outwardly and rigidly or integrally carrying therewith a circular row of studs 24 adapted to pass through apertures provided therefor in the gland member 25. The inner surface of this extremity of the casing 1 is provided with a shouldered recess 26, and the in ner surface of the gland member 25 is likewise provided with a shouldered recess 27, each recess adapted to receive the packing material 28 and 29 respectively; between which lies a metallic ring 30 provided on its inner s urface with a circumferential groove 31 havlng assoc1ated therewith, at spaced intervals, rad1a1ly extending bores 32 leading to the space between the flange 23 of the casing and the gland member 25, the internal diameter of the metallic ring 30 being Such as to give a sliding fit between said ring and the machined outer circumferential floating tube plate, all as will be readily understood from Fig. 6.

The gland member 25 is provided on the u nder side thereof with a plurality of studs 35 rig1dly or integrally formed therewith, each Leidas@ whereas the studs 35 are for securing the return cover 37 to the gland member 5. By this construction the return cover may beI removed from the heat exchanger without disturbing the packing associated with the floating tube plate 22, to enable the tubes 12 to be cleaned or otherwise operated upon as maybecome necessary from use of the device. To aid in the securement of the parts justmentioned the ange of the return cover 37 is provided with radial peripheral openings 38 of slightly larger dimension than the nuts 39 associated with the studs 24 so that the length 'of said studs may be materially reduced In addition, this construction avoids the necesy sity of drilling registering holes in the iange 36toreceive saidstuds, and reduces the weight of said cover. Nuts 40 secure the cover 37 in place by bearing on the outer surface of the ange 36 thereof, all as will be clear from said igures. A circular gasket or other packingr 41 is provided between the ange 36 of the return cover and the land member 25 to provide a leak-proof joint therebetween. al`he wall of the return cover 37 is semi-spherical in shape so that the smooth inner surface 44 thereof, which concentrically registers with the inner surface of the gland member 25, as well as the casing 1, provides a free return for the water from one half of the tube nest to the other half, as indicated by the heavy arrows in Fig.' 1. n

By providing the packed joint, as above described at the floating end of the tn be, any leaks which may develop will be readily visible because the fluid will pass from the inslde of the exchanger to the outside thereof through the openings 32 in the ring 30. By particularly noticing through which open- Iings the Huid is leaving the device, and then tightening the nuts 39 and 40 adjacent said openings,thus placing additional pressure on the packing element yat thepoint of leak, the leak will be stopped. This obviates the necessity of shutting do'wn the power plant, which has to be done where heat exchangers of the heretofore known types are employed, cause by this invention the leak is visiblyindicated as soon as it develops whereas heretofore the leaks were not visible, thus permit ting a mixture of the two iuids which was not ascertained until damage resulted, or the plant stopped for inspection. 0 p

The open end of the chamber 4 1s provided with a cover generally indicated by thenumeral 50 comprising a circular plane portion 51 constituting theange adapted to rest upon the companion Vflange 52 of the chamber and secured thereto vin any suitable manner as by the bolts 53.

The remainder of the cover 50 constitutes the portion 55 provided with opposed planoconcave surfaces 56 and 57 each having one end in the plane of the flange 51 and their other ends meeting in a web 58 disposed diametrically of the cover and in a plane at substantially right angles to the plane of the flange 51. This construction is clearly brought out in the perspective drawing constituting Fig. 12. The side extremities of the plano-concave surfaces lie in a c lindrical plane of a diameter eqpialv to the internal diameter of thechamber 4. The cover 50 is of such size that'when in fixed position with Arelation to the chamber 4, the end 59 of the webV 5'8 will lie in close fitting contact with the outer face of the fixed tube sheet 10, in a diametrical plane thereof with the planoconcave surfaces 56 and 57- dividing the chamber 4 into two compartments 60 and 61 so that the water entering through the inlet 5 into the compartment 60 will strike the l plano-concave surface 57 and be deflected through an arc of substantially into the open ends -ofthe tubes 12 communicating with said compartment. The water will then pass through the said tubes into the semispherical space constituting the return chamber 62 of the return cover 37 and will be deected as indicated by the heavy arrows through substantially 180 into the open ends of the other half of the tubes 12, to be passed from the other end of said tubes into the compartment 61 where said water will strike the plano-concave surface 56 which assists the deflection of said water through an arc of substantially 90 into and through the outlet 6, all as will be clear from Fig. 1. For convenience in removing the cover 50 from the heat exchanger there is provided an eye 65 disposed in the recess 66 of the cover f lying between the metal walls forming the plano-concave surfaces 56 and 57.

The oil'to be cooled will nter'through the inlet 2 to the inside of the casing 1, flow around the outside of the tubes 12, and pass out of the casing through the outlet 3, giving up part of its heat tothe water in the tubes 12 in said passage, all as readily understood. This invention is not limited to any specific form of oil circuit but in the drawings the fixed tube sheet 10 is shown as having rigidly secured thereto a longitudinally extendin baille plate 7 0 reaching not quite to the floating tube plate 22, so that the oil in passing through the device is made to flow longitudinally thereof on oneside of the baille and then back through the'length of the device'as indicated by the light arrows in order to gain the outlet 3 from the casing 1. Any other suitable construction may be employed to cause a tortuous path over which the fluid to be cooled must pass.

Thus it will be seen that by this construction there is provided a casing of substantially cylindrical formation provided with anY inlet and an outlet for the fluid to be cooled, said casing having disposed therein a nest of tubes for the cooling fluid. Further the nest of tubes is provided with means to rigidly support one end thereof in said casing and the other end of the nest of tubes comprisemeans for confining the fluid to be cooled in the casing.

One end of the casing is provided with a closure comprising the gland member 25 and the return flow cover 37 rigidly secured thereto so thatany adjustments that may be necessary can be made Without the removal of the cover. Interposed between the land member 25 and the end of the casingis a packing means adapted to reventthe leakage of either the cooling uid or the fluid to be cooled, but should there be a leakage of said fluids, the same will be visible due to the fact that said fluid will pass through the radial apertures associated with the annular groove in the packing ring 30, with the result that those bolts adjacent the leak are the only ones necessary to be tightened to stop the leak. v

The other end of the casing is enlarged to provide the chamber 4 having an inlet and an outlet for the cooling kfluid and the cover associated with the said chamber is adapted to divide the sameinto two compartments to cause the coolingl fluid to flow smoothly from the inlet into one section of the tube nest and from the other section ofthe tube nest to the outlet. By flow smoothly is meant a substantially unobstructed or circular path for the fluid created by the plano-concave surfaces 56 and 57 and the curved surface 44 of the return cover, whereby the pressure on the liquid is not diminished.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangements of parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therey'fore it is not desired to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

That is claimed is:

l. In a heat exchanger including a casing adaptedto contain a nest of tubes for the cooling fluid about which the fluid' to be cooled is circulated, a packed closure including a removable cover for one end of said casing, a gland member supporting said-cover and4secured to said casing, and asealing ring between said gland member and said casing, said closure ada ted to visibly indicate a leakage of either uid as well as to permit free access to said tubes Without disturbing the mounting thereof in said casing.

2. Ina heat exchangerincluding a casing adapted to contain a nest of tubes for the cooling fluid about which the fluid to be cooled is circulated, a closure including a flat circular gland member secured to said casing with an interposed packin comprising a grooved andA apertured ring or visibly indicating a leakage of either fluid as Well as a cover provided with an outwardly extending flange removably secured to said member, said closure being for one end of said casing and adapted vto permit free access to said tubes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ANDERSON MACPHEE. 

